For more than 20 years we, (the VanRipers), have enjoyed the privilege of presenting at schools, libraries, conferences, and on radio and television with our message: The 3 R’s: Reading, (w)Riting & Relationships. Thousands of students, including many reluctant readers, have been encouraged to remain engaged with reading and been challenged to try their own hand at writing. During a typical presentation, students are exposed to the fundamentals of the craft as the mystique of the publishing process is also removed. Our primary goal is to inspire children to read and write. We also encourage them to set aside their electronic devices to get out and explore the great outdoors!

Billy Lamont’s poetry workshops, designed to strengthen student’s writing skills, are aligned with New York State English Language Arts Standards for Reading and Writing. Lamont explains the different forms of poetry, giving examples from his own poetry, and speaks about the importance of knowledge, imagination, and wisdom of heart and mind for success in life. Lamont affirms that students have a right to their own feelings and that it is healthy to express themselves through poetry. Lamont recites his poem, ‘Dignity’ to help students understand their unique value and to inspire them to fulfill their great potential. In support of The Dignity Act, he tells students that they can gain an understanding and empathy of other people, including those from different cultures, through reading their poetry. He emphasizes the importance of empathy in building community and stopping bullying in our schools. BILLY LAMONT BIO 2025 Billy Lamont is a NY based American poet, spoken word artist, recording artist, and experimental multi-media performance poet, with a reformer spirit, and international reach. He has been interviewed and performed on national television a number of times, including Joe Franklin Show, MTV, and MUCH MUSIC Television broadcast from Toronto, Canada. He has toured and performed with Lollapalooza rock festival several times including in the Poetry Tent in 1994, on The Lab side stage in 1995, and representing Jubilee USA/International in The World Of Just BeCauses activism tent while performing poems of activism on the Booty Camp side stage in 2003. He has appeared on college and major radio stations across the U.S. including Z-100 live from Lollapalooza in NY in 1994. He has also given in-store book signing events at major and independent bookstores throughout the U.S. Lamont has three books of poetry, and as a recording artist has nine album CD/digital download releases. His latest book Words Ripped From A Soul Still Bleeding: Poems For The Future Edition is available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon as a paperback, or as an eBook, and all his albums can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. He was awarded a Guinness World Record for his poetry performance contribution to a benefit song for Love Hope Strength Foundation and those fighting cancer, that was recorded by Mike Peters of The Alarm in 2014, and was the ‘longest officially released song ever.’ This song titled The Scriptures was written as a seed of peace for Muslims, Christians and Jews in The Holy Land. His 1998 debut album CD/digital release Into The 21st Century was a benefit for Teen Challenge, with performances by two of his greatest influences, the legendary Allen Ginsberg and the brilliant Mike Peters of The Alarm on the title track. In his later years, Ginsberg expressed his love and support for Lamont’s poetry with permission to use an audio sample from one of his first recitals of the Beat Generation epic poem Howl. The passion to inspire hope and to be a voice for everyday people is at the heart of his poetry. His poems encourage dignity, uphold life and have been a catalyst for many people to live in a more loving way, to find their own voice and for personal and social reform

“Amy helps students, from the very youngest to the very oldest, find inspiration and see the world with poet's eyes. She's helped some of our most reluctant writers find themselves in new words and images they never knew were there!” - Thomas Marshall, Principal, Stony Lane Elementary, Paramus, NJ “Amy’s engaging presentations were bursting with wise and inspiring words. She has a remarkable way of connecting with students and teachers, making poetry accessible to all. Her visit filled our school with joy!” - Dr. Kristie Miner, Literacy Coordinator, Tioughnioga Riverside Academy, Whitney Point, NY Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is author of several books for children and teachers, as well as keeper of the popular classroom blogs The Poem Farm and Sharing Our Notebooks. Some know her from her series of teaching videos offered during the COVID Spring of 2020, 72 lessons taught from “Betsy the Writing Camper.” A former upper grade teacher, Amy holds an MA in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, is a 25+ year writing teacher, served as editor of “The Poetry of Science” column in NSTA’s SCIENCE AND CHILDREN journal, and loves exploring creativity and writing with students and teachers. As a speaker or writer-in-residence, Amy gives presentations and teaches joyful writing workshops about topics ranging from poetry to reading like writers to notebook-keeping. Her next book, a narrative poetry picture book, is titled JOHN AND BETSY (Eerdmans). Author Visit: During an author visit, Amy usually speaks to the whole school throughout the course of one school day, one or two grade levels at a time, sharing information about everything from notebook keeping to the process of drafting a poem to the world of publication, all along weaving in poems, stories, and pictures related to her poems and books. This visit may be spread across three buildings for three assemblies if desired. An alternative to this is a day of classroom visits, up to five classrooms of 45-55 minutes each. Writing Residency: There is a great deal of flexibility in a writing residency. As a former elementary school teacher and longtime writing teacher, Amy enjoys working with students in a variety of settings and for one day or many. Possible residencies are not limited to but include: notebook making and notebook keeping, personal essay writing, writing from nature, and a variety of poetry workshops. Teacher Workshops & Conference Presentations: Amy loves to work with teachers and speak at conferences, focusing on poetry, notebooking, the habits of writing, conferring, and the joy of words and the world.

Dr. Blake’s assemblies feature age-appropriate and engaging lessons infused with beatboxing, comedic storytelling, and family-friendly freestyle rapping. Each presentation is customized for elementary, middle, and high school students with unique stories, humor, and messages that resonate with each audience. Parent presentations, staff PD, and video program options are also available. Program options include: Growth Mindset Digital Citizenship Kindness and Empathy State Testing Family Literacy Night (featuring Dr. Blake's illustrated Growth Mindset-themed children’s books)

Award-winning, nationally touring actor and educator Tim Collins has performed his acclaimed one-man shows for over 1,000,000 students and educators around the country. Tim offers a range of engaging shows for all ages, K-12, as well as interactive workshops for students and adults. STANDING BY, STANDING UP (3rd-7th grade) ?This powerful solo play depicts a compelling range of characters confronted by bullying and cyberbullying. Timely and thought-provoking, this impactful drama identifies ways students can prevent violence in their schools and communities. TO BE HONEST (8th-12th grade) A performance created specifically for middle and high school audiences, this moving show addresses a range of trending issues including cyberbullying, bystander intervention, and the impact of social media on friendships and relationships. NO MORE BULLYING (K-3rd grade) This fun and exciting program engages kids and provides strategies on how to avoid bullying and how to become an empowered bystander and work to prevent bullying and cyberbullying. INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS (all ages) Utilizing an innovative combination of innovative games and activities, small and large group discussion, and compelling and memorable role-playing exercises, Tim provides transformative workshop sessions for students and professionals. Workshops on a variety of topics are available, including: Healthy Communication, Conflict Resolution, Team Building, Bystander Intervention, Cultural Responsiveness, Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion, Bullying Prevention, Cyberbullying Prevention, Healthy Masculinity, Creative Writing, Improvisational Comedy, Acting and Public Speaking.

Digilangua is a digital platform for readers (short novels) written in accessible language expressly for language learners. We currently have an actively growing library of more than 170 books in five different languages: English, German, Italian, French and Spanish, the majority of which also have audio to accompany the ebooks. Founded by two world language teachers and authors of comprehensible novels, the LMS-similar site boasts access for up to 180 students per teacher login, the ability for teachers to monitor student reading progress, create auto-graded comprehension questions, select the books available to different classes, as well as create assignments for students, all within the platform.

Get Patriotic with Democratic Values. Uncle Sam’s Comedy Jam is a crazy shindig celebrating American Freedom! The Bill of Rights and Constitution will be there, and so will many of our core democratic values. But be warned, this 40-minute show isn’t just a party. It’s a bash! Teachers and students won’t be able to stop laughing as Uncle Sam, with help from the Statue of Liberty and 16 volunteers, teaches the fundamental beliefs that unite all Americans. Kindergarteners through sixth graders learn how America became a free nation during the funniest history lesson ever. Democratic values have never been this funny! Topics in this patriotic elementary assembly include: Constitutional Government | The Importance of Rules | Separation of Powers | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness | Symbols of Freedom | Checks and Balances | The Bill of Rights | Individual Freedoms | Shay’s Rebellion | The 13 Colonies | Common Good | Federalism | Patriotism | Equality | Justice | Declaration of Independence | Amendments and Rules | Democratic Values | The Framers | Articles of Confederation | Three Branches of Government.

Meet Dott! Like the Polkadot! And her talking dog Dusty, like the dust! Their mission is to foster the voice and imagination of the next generation. Dusty & Dott are committed to creating an environment that is welcoming and supportive of all identities. Through storytelling and the magic of puppetry, Dusty & Dott celebrate curiosity and encourage the values of creative play.

My offerings include: - Hands-on visual arts workshops tailored to grade levels, focusing on foundational skills in drawing, painting, mixed media, composition, and creative problem-solving. - Project-based residencies that engage students in artmaking, collaborative mural design, and comprehensive documentation from concept to completion. - Arts integration modules aligned with New York State Learning Standards to enhance classroom instruction and foster deeper engagement. - Professional development for educators on arts integration strategies and creative process facilitation to strengthen their capacity for maintaining arts-rich learning environments. - Flexible delivery formats, including in-class workshops, multi-session residencies, assemblies, and virtual sessions. My approach promotes student expression, creative confidence, and cultural awareness by connecting studio practice with academic inquiry. I am committed to equitable access to arts education and assisting schools in enriching their curricula through meaningful, student-centered artistic experiences.

In the Footsteps of History is a transformative educational experience that takes students on extraordinary journeys led by renowned modern-day explorers. The culmination of 14 years of dedicated teaching in both public and private schools across the nation, this groundbreaking program, developed by a diverse team of leading educators, professors, writers, award-winning documentary filmmakers, explorers, and world-class game designers, is unlike anything you’ve experienced in the classroom before! Presenting a new way of learning history that ignites curiosity and passion, In the Footsteps of History seamlessly blends live explorer-in-residence programming, with cutting edge technology, investigation, and academic rigor that brings history to life through the excitement of adventure and exploration. (Works on Chromebook, PC or Mac).

We teach and perform a wide range of classical, folk, and Bollywood dance styles at school, at work, at the musem and anywhere! Ajna’s programs celebrate diversity and foster cultural inclusion for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Julia Houk is a literacy researcher and former secondary English teacher (PhD candidate, University of California, Davis) who designs multimodal composition workshops built around real research and real texts. Students investigate a topic or work through blended genres: primary-source research, poetry, pastiche, translation, photography, and more. Through working with hybrid forms, students learn to synthesize sources and build various rhetorical stances across genres and media. The approach is grounded in Julia's published research on multimodal transmediation and years of teaching multigenre research projects to secondary students. Sessions are scaffolded for writers from grade 3 through grade 12, adaptable to any classroom text, novel, or research theme a teacher is already using, and can run as a single interactive workshop, a multi-day residency, or a small-group classroom series. Students leave with a finished multimodal piece and a working sense of how research, evidence, and craft fit together. (Julia also holds formal training in Shakespeare studies and can build a Shakespeare-specific version of this unit on request.)